Business briefs

Napoleon was named "America's Number One Solar Small Town" by the Solar Energy Industries Association, which chose the community because of its public and private support of the solar industry.

NAPOLEON

Small Ohio town No. 1, solar energy group says

Napoleon was named “America’s Number One Solar Small Town” by the Solar Energy Industries Association, which chose the community because of its public and private support of the solar industry.

Two solar firms, AP Alternatives and Isofoton North America, are located in Napoleon, while the Campbell Soup plant in town has a solar array that helps power it, and the city has teamed with American Municipal Power to build a solar field.

Tom Kimbis, vice president of the 1,100-member trade association, said the award signifies that the Napoleon area “is a true manufacturing hub and a leader in the solar industry.”

— The Blade

URBANA

DuPont Pioneer opens Seed-research facility

Researchers are moving into DuPont Pioneer’s new $1.8 million facility in Urbana, bringing a handful of new jobs to the area.

DuPont Pioneer will use the property to study how several varieties of corn seed react with soil in Ohio and other states, said Joe Stull, senior research associate with the company.

— Springfield News-Sun

CLEVELAND

Retail-residential project breaks ground next month

Ground is expected to be broken in January for Uptown, a sleek retail-and-residential project lining Euclid Avenue at University Circle.

MRN Ltd. is the developer behind the $21 million project. Rising to 85 feet near Ford Drive, the new building will hold ground-floor businesses, 43 traditional apartments and student housing for the Cleveland Institute of Art.

— The Plain Dealer

MIAMISBURG

Parent’s bankruptcy won’t affect hospital

The CEO of LifeCare Hospitals of Dayton says the bankruptcy proceedings and acquisition of its Texas parent company won’t affect local operations.

The long-term acute-care hospital, located at Sycamore Medical Center in Miamisburg, has plans to grow capacity to treat more patients. Such hospitals specialize in the care of patients with serious and complicated illnesses or major wounds.

— Dayton Daily News

AKRON

Redevelopment group wins foundation grant

The neighborhood development group University Park Alliance has been awarded nearly $8 million to continue building Akron’s urban core.

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation awarded the alliance a $6 million grant over five years to work with neighborhood residents, local businesses and city institutions.

The foundation also is donating a $1.8 million low-interest loan to support the redevelopment of the area called University Square.